Adolescence
by kisa-tiger-san
Summary: Slight AU. Kaito and Shinichi are twins. Shinichi has the hidden longing for his brother, but it takes a shoulder wound to patch the things between them. One-shot.


It was very early in the morning, barely a few hours past midnight. A figure stumbled in from a window, leaving a few bloodied prints on the glass.

Grunting in pain, Kaito clutched his soaked coat over his bleeding wound. Sucking in a shaky breath, he headed to his bedroom silently. Deactivating the trap, he entered the room and collapsed onto his bed. Grabbing the long strip of cloth on the bedside table, he hissed in pain when he removed the sticky coat.

Clenching his teeth, he tied the cloth clumsily around the wound. _'I have to go clean the blood stains, or he's going to notice...'_ Kaito grimaced. He swore, sometimes, Shinichi had the nose of a bloodhound. Sticking his hands under the bed, he searched and found the stashed first-aid kit.

"You were shot."

Kaito's eyes snapped onto the figure leaning on the doorway, hands crossed. Shinichi took a step towards Kaito, worry written all over his face. Kaito didn't know what to say. He couldn't possibly say, _"Oh, I am the Kaitou KID and have been hiding this secret from you, like, for two years already~! I'm suffering from a horrible gun wound, so, if you excuse me, I have to bandage it up!",_ right?

Shinichi took the box from his grasp while he was deep in thought, immediately searching for the bandages. Kaito accepted the clean cloth from Shinichi, holding it over his wound. Shinichi observed him wordlessly. Seeing the blood seeping out onto the sheets, he decided to take action. Taking out a pair of scissors from the first-aid kit, he snipped off the red tie, then the blue shirt on Kaito.

Kaito could see his vision growing fuzzy and he struggled to keep conscious. Shinichi was checking his shoulder wound, then nodded. "The bullet went through completely. I hate to dig it out," he mumbled to himself, a wet cloth in his hand. Kaito swore it wasn't there before; was Shinichi a magician? Shinichi removed the now bloody cloth before cleaning the wound gently, his expression calm.

Shinichi's eyes locked with Kaito's, and he continued to clean and wrap the wound neatly. Kaito's top hat and monocle were abandoned on the other side of the bed, nothing but a pained expression left on Kaito's face. Kaito could see Shinichi's hands shaking even though his face was of utter calm._ 'Looks like someone was practising a poker face...'_ he thought, lifting his bloodied left hand to cup Shinichi's face. Those crystal blue eyes were full of anxiety, checking him over and over again. Shinichi lifted Kaito off the bed and made him sit on the nearby chair.

Kaito watched as Shinichi dug through the cupboard for new sheets, instantly changing the bed and clearing the bloodied sheets with ease. Like he was used to this. "Shin-chan, were you a nurse?" Kaito joked, then quietened when Shinichi's piercing gaze landed on him. Shinichi took out a pair of clean clothes and threw them at Kaito. "Hold on, I'll be back quickly," Shinichi muttered, exiting the room quietly. Kaito could feel his head getting clearer, then gasp at the pain as he accidentally brushed his injured right shoulder against the chair. Taking off his now red gloves, he threw them at the pile on the floor. He could see his own blood smeared on the floor, and it made him sick.

Shinichi returned to the room, a bucket and cloth in hand. Judging from the red in the bucket, he must have cleaned up the corridor where his blood had dripped on. Shinichi helped Kaito to the bed, assisting him in dressing. Watching Kaito carefully as he stole Kaito's phone from his coat, he called the first number he saw. Waiting for the phone to ring, he kept a watchful eye on Kaito, who seemed tired and unsure of what to do. The other person answered.

"Jii-san, this is Shinichi. Yes, I know who you are; I need you to take care of KID's clothes. Yes, I know who KID is. All right, I'll send you the address- Wait, you have it already? All right, thanks. Sure, I'll let him know. Bye."

Kaito gulped when Shinichi flung the phone non-too-gently at the corner, his eyes focused on Kaito. He climbed onto the bed, the soft creaking noise sounded through the quiet room. Shinichi was straddling Kaito's stomach, watching him like a hawk. Kaito shifted uncomfortably, feeling uneasy about the detective that found out about his secret. He noticed that Shinichi was still in his clothes from the earlier heist, sleeves covered in his blood.

Shinichi seemed to notice Kaito's flickering gaze, then eyed his own sleeve. "I'll just tell Mom and Dad that it was from a case on the way back," he said quietly, eyes travelling from Kaito's face to the white hat and monocle on the table. "I was surprised to see the white hang-glider in out backyard. I packed it," he continued, seeing Kaito's horrified face. The folded hang-glider leant against the wall with the clothes in a pile at the bottom.

Kaito waited for Shinichi to start ranting on how he knew he was KID all along and to say how disappointed he was in him. However, he did not expect Shinichi to hug him, carefully avoiding the wound. "You didn't know how worried I was, not seeing you return to your room. Kaito, I know the reason why you were KID," Shinichi confessed, "I found Dad's file on the Kaitou KID in your room the other day."

Shinichi pulled away from Kaito and averted his gaze. "I-I could feel that something was wrong, so I stayed up and waited for you to come back. I broke into your room just now," he blurted, face heating up. "It feels like we haven't seen each other in years..." he mumbled, fingering the slightly larger hand.

Kaito could see Shinichi biting his lips and felt Shinichi's grip on his hand tighten. Smiling, he used his left hand and brought Shinichi's hand to kiss it. "I'm happy, _ojou-chan_, that you would worry for me," Kaito grinned, deep violet staring into azure blue. "So, stop your tears now."

Shinichi snatched his hand away and rubbed his eyes. He muttered stubbornly, "I'm not _crying_..." Kaito grinned, then yawned. "I'm pretty tired now, Shin-chan, so whatever else you wanted to ask, can it be in the morning?" Shinichi regarded the magician for a moment before nodding, standing up and walking to the window. He chatted with the magician's assistant and handed him the KID outfit, hang-glider and all.

Kaito was found fast asleep by Shinichi when he turned back. Writing something on a piece of paper, he stuck it to the door before turning the lights off and sat on the chair next to the bed, watching the magician sleeping before he closed his eyes and slept.

~~NEXT MORNING~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shinichi awoke to the scent of blood and the familiar scent that was Kaito. His mind immediately linked the two together, sitting up abruptly before remembering the events during the night before. He noticed that there was an absence of Kaito and the bed was empty. Panicking, he glanced around, only to see Kaito coming into the room with a cup in his hand. Shinichi could smell the hot chocolate in it, then took in the sight of Kaito with his messy hair.

Kaito choked on his hot chocolate when he noticed that Shinichi had awoken, then winced at the soreness of his shoulder. "That wound would take about three to six months to heal. I suggest that you don't hold any heists during this period," Shinichi advised, looking away pointedly. Kaito returned to the bed, placing his coffee on the side table. "Anyway, Shin-chan, I didn't know that you learnt first-aid," Kaito commented, staring at the fresh bandages. Shinichi had changed them in the middle of the early morning, then had collapsed and slept on.

Shinichi without his daily coffee was like a starving lion without any meat to eat. He scuffled to the kitchen to pour from the pot of black coffee that his father always drinks. Shinichi was a hazard to the kitchen; even reheating a pot of coffee could end up in the kitchen blown to bits. Shinichi sipped from his heavenly drink, sighing in contentment. He brought the cup and a nearby novel along with him, then thought about it. He glanced at the bedroom upstairs before picking up the wireless phone and dialling a familiar number.

Kaito, on the other hand, was trying to change his clothes without using his right hand. Giving up on actually moving, he noticed a cup of water and two pills on the table on the other side of the bed where Shinichi slept. _'Painkillers...'_ he recognised, then grinned. His Shinichi was really thoughtful. Downing the medicine, he laid back onto his bed and thought about how calm Shinichi was about discovering his identity as Kaitou KID.

"If you thought I was not going to ask you question on Kaitou KID, then I'm afraid that you're wrong. Hakuba told me most of his suspicions on you, and after reading dad's file on Kaitou KID, I realised that you took over Uncle Toichi's role, right?" Shinichi pointed out from the doorway.

"Eh? How long have you been standing there, Shin-chan?" Kaito asked, turning to look at Shinichi. Shinichi twirled the monocle around his finger, answering him with a look.

"I figured out you were KID when I saw your picture on the news. I further confirmed this by going head-on with you. Kaito," Shinichi warned. Whenever Shinichi calls him with that tone, Kaito knew he was in trouble. "You aren't off the hook for keeping something like this from me. I've got the_ best_ medicine for you," Shinichi smirked, glancing towards the person that was entering the room.

Kaito almost shrieked when he saw who it was. "_H-Haibara_?!" he exclaimed, then choked on his hot chocolate. The nineteen-year-old genius was carrying a briefcase with her, apparently stuffed full of doctor materials. Shinichi grinned, waving to Kaito. "Haibara, I'll be right here if you need me," he called out, sitting in the chair from across the bed. Kaito wailed, "Shin-chan! You cannot do this to me! She's gonna _kill_ me!"

Shinichi sighed at Kaito's actions, muttering, "Haibara's going to quicken up your healing so that it reduces the time taken to heal to exactly three months. Trust me," Shinichi said, staring at the needle Haibara had taken out and examined, "that is _really_ more painful than it looks."

Kaito's screams of terror echoed throughout the mansion.

Shinichi calmly drank his coffee like he didn't witness the torture of Kaito by Haibara. He checked his phone, seeing that his parents were going to return soon. Finishing the last few drops of his coffee, he turned to Kaito. "You're lucky Mom called the school to inform them that you weren't going to go to university for the next few days due to family issues. I'm staying for a week until your condition stabilises, then I'll return to school," he mumbled, then flung his phone to a corner.

Kaito watched the phone soar and land on the ground with a small 'crack' sound. "Shin-chan, I don't think phones were meant to be thrown around..." Kaito murmured, seeing Shinichi ignore the ringing phone and read his novels. Haibara chuckled at the sight, then picked up the phone. Throwing it back at Shinichi, she went out the door. "I'll be back with the medicine and bandages, so, Shinichi, make sure he doesn't move. And when I say don't move, I really mean it."

Shinichi nodded, staring at Kaito. Kaito looked away, then heard his stomach grumbled. Shinichi laughed, and Kaito thought that it was the most beautiful sound he ever heard, though it seems a little too cliche. Shinichi stood up. "I'll be off to the convenience store, Kai; you wouldn't want me to burn down the house cooking boiled eggs," Shinichi laughed, taking his wallet from the side of the table and left.

Kaito was stunned; it was the first time in years that he ever saw Shinichi laugh. His face seemed to light up at Kaito's words, the relief and humour shining in his eyes. Kaito thought it was very cute indeed. Haibara interrupted his thoughts. "You know, Shinichi really like you a lot, Kaito, but he's really dense. One moment, he comes complaining to me how you're not always home during a KID heist and the next, he comes to me to learn emergency first-aid," she stated, pulling on rubber gloves. "If you want to confess your own feelings to Shinichi, I suggest you do it bluntly, or he'll never understand, all right?"

"Shin-chan? What's he got to do with this?" Kaito asked, tilting his head sideways. Haibara smacked her hand onto her head. "Don't you ever feel like doing stuff like going out to eat ice-cream or holding hands or kissing?" she prodded, peeling the bandages off Kaito's wound.

Kaito thought about it. "Well, I do, but isn't the first two natural things to do with your best friend-slash-older twin?" he questioned, then thought about the last one. His face heated up at the thought. "Wait, wait, wait, you're talking about me, kissing Shin-chan?" he stuttered, staring at the young girl with wide eyes. She gave him a deadpan glare, taking out a sewing needle and surgical string. "You might want to look away, Kuroba," she warned, nimble fingers threading the string through the needle easily.

"Shin-chan spoke about it being painful. When was this?" Kaito asked suspiciously, and Haibara looked up at him in curiosity. She checked the records in her notebook, then closed it with a snap. "Lie down," she ordered. "I'll tell you later on."

Kaito gulped as he felt the anaesthesia take effect on him. He was rather woozy, feeling the wound was numb. The needle threading in and out of his skin was quick, and soon, in five minutes, Haibara was done. She looked at Kaito before spraying some antiseptic alcohol on the cloth, then wiped Kaito's wound with it. He hissed in pain, eyes scrunching up in pain.

Shinichi was shot before, according to Haibara. Kaito was curious to know when, as he never noticed that Shinichi was injured that way before. "Ai-chan, when was this?" he murmured, staring at the ceiling.

"Kuroba, are you talking about the moment when Shinichi discovered that he liked you that way or something else?" Haibara smirked, keeping the equipment back in her case. Kaito shuddered at her smirk. She seemed a little too creepy to be the same age as them. Geniuses are scary indeed.

Shinichi appeared at the doorway, arms folded. "Haibara, what did I say...?" he muttered, face flushed. He threw a can of grape soda to the girl, and she caught it. "Thanks, Shinichi. Anyway, you should tell Kuroba soon; It's not like you're gonna hold on to it any longer," she advised, then left the two to be alone. Shinichi brought the bento boxes to where Kaito laid.

Kaito watched as Shinichi broke the chopsticks, then chuckled when Shinichi realised that Kaito was unable to eat with his injured shoulder. "Kaito, here," Shinichi muttered, unwrapping the riceball and handed it to Kaito.

"Shin-chan, you don't have to do look after me if you don't want to..." Kaito murmured, remembering the times when they were younger. During their last year of elementary school, Shinichi claimed that he did not need Kaito's presence near him anymore, and that was the moment where their parents thought that they were already grown up and gave them separate rooms. The last blow for Kaito was the moment he realised that he was going to Ekoda Middle School by himself while Shinichi was going to Teitan Middle School.

Shinichi snapped him out of his memories. "Come on, Kaito, eat it," he pouted. Kaito's eyes widened at the cute sight of Shinichi, and he wanted to do nothing else but hug him. "Anyway, Mom agreed to cook while you're still 'down with a terrible cold'," Shinichi informed, frowning when he saw that Kaito wasn't eating.

Kaito could feel the anaesthesia wearing off, but he felt weird. He was focused on Shinichi's moving lips, not taking a single word he was saying. He beckoned to Shinichi to move closer, to which Shinichi obeyed, and he leaned in to give Shinichi a peck on the lips.

Shinichi's reaction amused Kaito. Shinichi was stunned for a moment before blushing 8 shades of red, then dropped the chopsticks. Covering his mouth, Shinichi spluttered, "Kaito! Wh-what do you think you're doing?!"

Kaito giggled. "I love you, Shin-chan," he cheered, eyes hazy. Shinichi could tell that Kaito was out of it, and wondered dryly whether this was part of Haibara's 'Get K & S together' plan. Looking at Kaito's intoxicated state, he couldn't help but smile. He placed the half-eaten meal on the table, then leaned in close to Kaito. 'I wonder...' Shinichi thought, tucking in the injured Kaito with bedsheets. He watched as Kaito drifted off into dreamland before kissing him on the lips. "I love you too, Kai," Shinichi murmured tiredly, then closed his eyes, lying down next to him.

It was late evening when Shinichi awoke to see that Kaito was still in bed, sleeping off the anaesthesia. He walked to the door only to bump into his mother. Yukiko grinned widely, waving her finger. "Is Shin-chan trying to ditch school now?" she laughed.

"No, just trying to take care of my younger twin, that's all," Shinichi grumbled, waving lazily and tried to walk past her. However, Yukiko blocked the path.

"Well, Shin-chan, this is the first time I've ever seen you so caring towards your twin in such a long time; you were so cold to him when you were in middle school!" she sniffed, glancing back at Kaito's room. "After all, you practically came home at late evening and went to different schools! I still remember that time where Kai-chan came crying to me..."

Shinichi started. "Kaito came crying to you...? What about?" he asked, curiosity taking over his will to avoid his mother's questions.

"You see, it kind of started like this..."

_"Shinichi's mom?" Ran's voice rang throughout the Kudou household. Yukiko was sorting through her clothes when she heard the question from her sons' friend. "Ran-chan, what's wrong?" she asked, seeing the girl come into view._

_Ran had a worried look on his face, her blue eyes shining with the unshed tears. "S-Shinichi was hurt!" she cried, gripping her arm tightly. Yukiko's eyes widened, then turned around to look for her son. "Where is he, then?"_

_"H-he's in Teitan's nurse's office... It was horrible..." Ran murmured. Yukiko patted her hair. "Stop crying now, Ran-chan, I'm sure Shin-chan is fine; I'll call the school and see how Shin-chan's situation is- On second thought, let's go and see him at the hospital." Yukiko checked her phone once more, then nodded to Ran to follow._

_Taking only two minutes (which was one-fifth the usual time taken from the Kudou mansion to that hospital), the two rushed to the ward only to see Kaito facing the wall with anger written all over his face, his eyebrows creased in frustration. Yukiko watched as Kaito smacked his fists against the wall repeatedly, then her eyes fell on her older son._

_Shinichi had both his entire calves wrapped in thick, white bandages, his usually bright azure eyes now in a dull blue. He seemed to be sweating a lot, his face contorted in pain. Ice packs had been placed on both his swollen leg and his forehead, and Yukiko gasped when she realised that Shinichi was running a fever. His breaths were sharp and short. "Shin-chan," she muttered quietly, caressing her son's burning forehead. He had changed into the hospital's clothes for patients, and he seemed so terribly vulnerable. Ran had her hands covering her mouth, and she was crying silently._

_"Kai-chan, what happened?" Yukiko asked quietly. Kaito clenched his teeth, turning to face his mother. His face cooled down into an expressionless one, and his violet eyes flickered to the patient on the bed, then at Ran, then back to his mother._

_"Shinichi... He..." Kaito murmured, unable to find the words to describe what had happened. Ran was still sniffling a little, dabbing her eyes with tissue paper. Kaito swallowed. "Shinichi's soccer team and my school's soccer team were having a match today. Aoko and I went to watch the match together, and then, Shinichi's team was behind by a few points. After that, they tied with the people in my school, but Shinichi was the one to lose that crucial goal even though he was the one that evened out the score._

_"After the match, it was already two in the afternoon. I went to talk with Shinichi, but then, I saw him confronted by some seniors I didn't recognise from his school. They were cornering Shinichi at the end of the field, and I was about to call out to them when...when..." Kaito trailed off, looking to Ran to continue. Yukiko saw his fists trembling, and she longed to hug him. And that was what she did._

_Ran decided to help him continue. "Shinichi was being the usual detective self he was, finding out that what the seniors were doing behind in the hidden area. I was waiting with Sonoko for him to come back, but after seeing Kaito running towards the direction Shinichi went to, I had this bad feeling..." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "When I reached there, Shinichi was clutching his legs, lying on the ground. Those horrible, horrible people..." she cried, "They called him so many names, and they broke his legs, shouting that he wasn't good enough for the soccer team."_

_Yukiko turned to look at Shinichi, her own heart breaking. "Kai-chan," she called out, seeing only tiredness left in his eyes. Kaito sat down in the chair next to his twin, staring at the unfocused eyes. Entwining his fingers with Shinichi's, he looked down at the floor, silently blaming himself for not stopping them on time._

_Yukiko went to sit beside Kaito, watching as the red flush on Shinichi's face fade after a few hours, leaving the usual paleness of his face._

"You didn't know how scared I was!" she cried dramatically, placing her hand to her forehead. Shinichi remembered the pain and the amount of time he had to use to regain his soccer ability. "Technically, Kaito wasn't the one running crying to you... Luckily, the bone was broken clean, and I was still able to play soccer after the treatment," Shinichi muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Yukiko frowned, then nodded. "You have no idea how Kai-chan looked those weeks, right? With the stress of Toichi-san's death, ignored by his twin, seeing you in the hospital... I saw him staring at that card gun of his a few times with longing on his face," Yukiko muttered, eyeing Shinichi. Shinichi waved her off, continuing onwards to the library. He took out books on wounds and injuries, flipping through them while finding his favourite chair to sit in.

Plopping down into the comforts of the chair, he read through the procedures once more, worrying that he could have missed out a step or two. Time passed quickly, leaving Shinichi to keep the books and go for dinner.

At the dinner table, with the absence of their usual bundle of energy, it was quiet. Yukiko looked at Yuusaku before she cleared her throat. Shinichi looked up from the meal he was eating before staring at her blankly. "Shin-chan, from the incident two nights ago, I'm sure you know that Kai-chan was acting as the Kaitou KID, right?" Yukiko started off. Shinichi nodded.

"Let me explain to you the entire history of the Kaitou KID," Yuusaku said, staring straight at Shinichi. Shinichi nodded, then watched as Yukiko excused herself and brought the tray up to the room. Both father and son waited until the footsteps disappeared until Yuusaku launched into the grandmother story of Pandora and Kaitou KID's mission on destroying it, as well as telling him that Toichi was the first Kaitou KID, making Kaito the second.

Shinichi nodded, knowing most of the things except for the jewel that gives immortality. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Exhaling, he opened them and smiled, thanking his father that he could explain the things that Kaito seemed to keep from him.

Yukiko returned, then turned to Shinichi. "Shin-chan, can you go and check on Kai-chan? I need to wash the plates," she requested, and Shinichi nodded.

Kaito was trying to use the fork in his left hand to poke the food, but since his dinner for that night was porridge, he had trouble even scooping up the porridge. Shinichi entered the room at this time, a spoon held in his hand. Kaito brightened up at the sight of his saviour, who smiled and brought the effort-saving utensil into the room. "Let me do it," Shinichi insisted, his face slightly tinted pink.

Kaito watched as Shinichi blew gently on the porridge, focusing on how Shinichi's lips looked soft and inviting, until the porridge was shoved in his face. "Shin-chan, you really have no sense of delicacy," Kaito commented, licking the cooled porridge off the spoon. Shinichi scowled, turning his head to the side. "Well, I'm sure that you can't eat the porridge yourself. Be grateful that I'm helping you with this," he muttered under his breath, eyes staring at the bowl of porridge.

Taking another scoop and blowing on it, Shinichi studied how Kaito watched himself, and he wondered why. Giving Kaito the cooled porridge once more, he watched as the pink muscle in Kaito's mouth darted out and finished every last drop. "Is it really that nice?" Shinichi wondered out loud, taking a little porridge from the bowl and using the spoon to scoop some and taste.

"...not bad," he decided, then turned to see Kaito grinning widely. "Shin-chan, by the time you're done with this, it would already be midnight. Here, I learnt to be ambidexterous; I can use my left hand as well," Kaito laughed, taking the bowl from Shinichi and placing it on the nearby table. Thanking Shinichi, he continued to eat, but Shinichi never left the room, instead watched Kaito as he finished the porridge.

"You know, Mom told me about the time when I broke both my legs. I remember... Your warm hands were clutching onto mine for the entire time until they had to chase you home," Shinichi smiled at the memory, sliding his hand into Kaito's. "I thought that staying apart from each other might be a good time to start when we're still younger, or maybe... Never mind, I'm starting to sound too sappy," Shinichi grinned weakly, taking their left hands together and comparing the sizes.

"Shin-chan, is it just me or have your hand grown shorter?" Kaito asked, observing the slight difference in the length of their fingers. Shinichi's fingers were long and slender, whereas his own were rough from years of practice with magic. Shinichi smiled sadly, noting the difference as well. "Looks like you're going to be larger than me soon," he laughed, looking up and staring into Kaito's face. "That shouldn't be surprising, since we aren't that similar after all..."

He could see where their slight differences were; Shinichi's face shape was more like his mother's and Kaito's was like his father's. Shinichi's total appearance was much more feminine than that of Kaito. Shinichi was on the lean side, but could with a powerful kick with either of his legs; Kaito was a little more muscled since he needed to escape from the taskforce and snipers as Kaitou KID.

...Which brought him back on the matter of Kaitou KID. Their mother had already explained to him that their father would explain everything to Shinichi, and that he did not ever need to hide from them anymore. However, Kaito was caught off-guard now when Shinichi's calculating gaze was staring straight into his own eyes without blinking, and soon, he was captivated by those clear blue skies. Leaning closer gradually, they could feel each others' hot breaths on their faces, until Kaito winced when he accidentally pulled against his wound.

Shinichi leapt away from Kaito, his face a hundred shades of red. "I-I-I'll bring this down now!" he exclaimed loudly, flustered while gathering the utensils and bowl down to the kitchen. Watching his older twin go, Kaito sighed, then put his hand to his forehead. _'What is wrong with me...?'_ he wondered, staring up at the dark ceiling. Oh well, he could might as well plan his next heist in advance...

Back in the kitchen, Shinichi placed the bowl down into the sink, washing the items without any thought. Their parents had gone to the library to talk about their father's deadline for his novel, and how he should actually be writing it now. After finishing with that chore, he went back to his own room and closed the door softly. Sliding down onto the ground, he clutched his head in both his hands.

_'What is wrong with me...?'_

~~~~FOUR MONTHS LATER~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four months had passed without much incidents happening except for Kaito being about to move about for the past month without any vigorous activities. They were in Shinichi's room since Kaito's room was going under cleaning; Kaito had complained that his room stank too much of antiseptics and was too much like a hospital. Doctor Araide did come to check on his wounds together with Haibara, who had smirked at the two of them knowingly.

Unwrapping the bandages, Shinichi looked up at Kaito seriously. "Don't plan your heist until you feel totally fine," he warned, taking off the white bandages. Kaito stretched his stiff shoulder, groaning. "Ah, I like it better without the bandages; it's much more free this way." Shinichi nodded at the healed wound, examining it. "Haibara's done a really good job this time; I've got to take her out for lunch next time I see her," Shinichi smiled, winding the clean bandages around his hand.

Kaito continued to stretch his shoulder, peeking at Shinichi from the corner of his eye. Seeing his brother focused on tidying up the room, and watched as Shinichi stopped in front of the mirror. Kaito noticed that Shinichi was mesmerised by the reflection, his fingers tracing a part of it. "Kaito, you've really become much more..." Shinichi trailed off, searching for the right word to describe his twin. Kaito walked up to the mirror slowly, placing his hand over Shinichi's.

There were subtle differences between them, and Shinichi could tell that Kaito was taller than he was. Turning his head slightly, he could see that Kaito was really close now. Shinichi inched a little to his right, a blush soon appearing. "Kai... You're too near," he mumbled, using his hand to push him away. Shinichi's eyes widened at Kaito's hurt expression that appeared for a second before his poker face returned, and he lowered his head. "Y-you're right, Shinichi. I'll go see if Mom is done with the cleaning," he laughed, then turned around. "See you later on, then," Kaito waved back, then walked out the room.

Shinichi's arm stretched out to stop him, but he hesitated before retracting it. He held the previously outstretched arm with his other hand, listening to his mother's high-pitched laughter and _his_ murmurs. Lying against the wall, he breathed. Face flushed red with embarassment and longing, he only cursed himself for being abnormal.

Day soon turned to night, and Kaito was once more out to his heist. Yukiko had to drag Shinichi along to participate as the leading detective, since Sonoko's uncle, Jirokichi had requested so.

Wearing a black turtleneck sweater with a white jacket and a pair of jeans, Shinichi groaned. His mother had obviously picked the clothes for him since he would just randomly grab any and wear them. "Mom, I don't ever recall having these clothes before..." Shinichi grumbled, picking at the sleeves.

"Of course you wouldn't. I bought them for Kaito, but then realised that it looks better on my Shin-chan~!" she laughed, pinching his cheek. Shinichi released her grip on his poor cheek, and was shocked when Nakamori-keibu came and pulled that same cheek. "Not Kaitou KID either..." he muttered angrily, stomping away to pinch and pull at others.

Shinichi heard a snap of a pocket watch being shut. "White Horse," Shinichi greeted, a smirk on his face. Hakuba rolled his eyes, then turned to greet Yukiko. "Good evening, madam. I offer my greatest sympathy that you had to go through with this and Kuroba at the same time," he said, glaring at Shinichi. "I really hate to be in your place."

"Must be Kaito rubbing off on me," Shinichi muttered, scratching the back of his head. Yukiko clapped her hands together, seeing Ran and Sonoko. "Ran-chan! Sonoko-chan!" she called out, her sunglasses slipping from her nose. With the three females locked into chatting, Hakuba glanced at the Heisei Holmes. "Kudou, you know that Kuroba is KID, right?"

"Who, Uncle Toichi?" Shinichi had decided to play dumb.

"Tch, I'm talking about Kuroba Kaito, your twin brother," he clarified. Shinichi shook his head.

"Hakuba, sometimes the world isn't merely in black and white. Sometimes, there are shades of gray in between.."

Shinichi left Hakuba to gape at him in confusion before he went to wait at the room with the jewel.

This latest jewel was the Ruby Phoenix, where the jewel was shaped as a feather, held on a chain with gold. The KID taskforce were already in place, ready to do the dogpile on Nakamori-keibu's orders. Shinichi relaxed at a corner, observing the area. The jewel was guarded by a glass case that had a sensor in it, which would activate a small jolt of current when touched. Only one person in the whole room had the remote; Shinichi. Apparently, Nakamori-keibu had slipped it into his pocket when he wasn't looking, and Shinichi was pretty sure that that Inspector was KID in disguise.

Taking out the remote and staring at it, he counted down mentally for the show to begin. He could hear Sonoko's screams of 'KID-sama! I love you!' and he felt something in him twitch. 'Maybe it was her annoying voice,' Shinichi convinced himself, darting past the various guards to stand in a place where he could observe the entire room.

Suddenly, the lights were cut. Loud and egoistic laughter could be heard ringing throughout the room, and suddenly, spotlights shone onto the glass case, and of course, onto the Phantom Thief who was clutching onto the jewel.

_"After him!"_

_"Get him!"_

Shinichi silently left the room, having predicted about fifty ways that KID could have escaped. He went with option number one: the rooftop.

The icy breeze on the rooftop stung his face, and Shinichi grumbled. He could have just stayed home and read his Holmes novel with a cup of black coffee, but no, he had to be forced to come along to this heist so that he could stop his own twin. Not long after, KID appeared on the rooftop.

"Meitantei-san, I'm surprised- Wait, I'm not surprised anymore. How are you supposed to know that I would escape here?" KID grinned, tilting his top hat. The string on the monocle whipped about as it was blown by the wind. Shinichi stared evenly at KID. He pointed at his head, then at him. _'Of course, detective instincts,'_ Kaito thought dryly, remembering the times where he could never hide anything from Shinichi.

Shinichi sighed, then sneezed. KID shone the jewel against the bright moonlight, only to be disappointed once more that it wasn't what he was looking for. "Meitantei-san, I'll give this to you. See you around~!" KID laughed. Shinichi noticed that his words must have hurt Kaito that time since KID was keeping his distance from the detective.

"After all, words can be used as a weapon too," Shinichi murmured, closing his eyes. He watched as KID waited for the taskforce to arrive before leaping off the building and soaring away on his hang-glider. Shinichi threw the Ruby Phoenix at Nakamori-keibu when he appeared.

What made his night at the heist was seeing Hakuba with his hair in a multi-coloured afro, complete with the clown costume. Shinichi snapped a photo with his phone before returning home with his mother.

When Shinichi opened the door to his room, he saw Kaito, changed from his KID outfit, sleeping on his bed. Shinichi noted that Kaito had his blanket smouldered in his face, and he was breathing deeply. Shinichi took care of not to alert Kaito to his presence, curiously watching him sleep. Kaito's familiar scent of chocolate that he often snacked on was comforting to Shinichi, who unconsciously was drawn in to that smell. He pulled back, wondering what the heck did he just do, then took his sleepwear to change in.

When he turned around after changing, Kaito was still there. However, his detective instinct told him that Kaito wasn't asleep; he was merely pretending. Cross his arms impatiently, he waited for Kaito to get up. Being impatient, he wanted to shake Kaito awake, but then he remembered the distance Kaito had given him. 'So, why is he in my room?' Shinichi wondered, not that he minded anyway.

Kaito gave up pretending to sleep since Shinichi was just standing there, waiting for him to get out of his queen-sized bed. Eyes locking into each other's, Kaito was unable to read Shinichi's expression. Even those sky blue eyes were guarded, and he felt like he was rejected once more. Picking up his fallen monocle, he smiled and apologised. "Sorry, Shinichi, but I guess I was too tired. Good night," he whispered, walking to the doorway.

However, he was stopped from walking out completely when Shinichi clung onto the edge of his clothes. Kaito halted in his footsteps, feeling the hand tremble. "...Sorry," he heard Shinichi mumble. Turning around, he saw that he was biting his bottom lip, face red. He found this to be really cute indeed, but it seemed like Shinichi was hesitating about something.

Tugging the hand from his clothes gently, he could see the fear in his eyes. Shinichi mumbled incoherently, his messy fringe covering his eyes. Kaito brought the hand to his lips and he kissed those long and slender fingers, eyes never leaving Shinichi's.

Shinichi looked at Kaito to see that his face was expressionless, and he tried to tug his hand back. "Kaito, let go," he breathed, but made no move to remove them from his grip. Kaito kept his firm grip, insisting, "No! I'm not going to let you go again!" Shinichi backed against the wall, alarming Kaito when he felt Shinichi's hand slide out of his grip. Shinichi was no longer showing his proud and arrogant detective self, leaving only this confused person.

"Kai, I had been thinking since the end of elementary school. I heard that twins who stick together for too long would become unable to live without the other, so I thought...that this was for the best. Asking Dad to 'accidentally' mix your papers up with Ekoda Middle School papers, sleeping in separate rooms... I thought that you, my younger twin, would be unable to live without your older twin, but it seems that I was wrong," Shinichi laughed without humour. "I was the one who couldn't live without you in the end. A part of me still regrets that we drifted apart, and the only thing that kept me going with this plan was your warm hands during the time where my legs were broken.

"By that point, my world was shattered into little pieces, so I made my own self-defense against the cruel world, just like your poker face. I didn't know that there were cracks since Ran was able to tell that something was wrong after all. I guess there is something wrong with me..." Shinichi looked tired and yet more relaxed after his explanation. Looking up at Kaito, Shinichi smiled. "I love you, Kaito, even though I think you would hate me now..." He closed his eyes, awaiting Kaito's reaction to his confession.

Kaito let the information sink in, then took a few steps towards Shinichi and tilted his chin up gently. Shinichi's eyes opened a fraction, revealing the crystal blue pools of moonlight under dark lashes. Kaito flicked his other hand, locking the door silently. Eyes locked into each others', Kaito could feel the warmth of Shinichi's breath of his face, see every strand of his eyelashes... Kaito's eyes slid down to see Shinichi's soft lips, and he felt pulled towards it.

Leaning in slowly, Kaito closed his eyes as his lips met Shinichi's. Nervous as he was, he didn't show it through the kiss, instead, he wound his arms around Shinichi's head and back. Kaito kept the kiss soft and gentle, coaxing Shinichi to relax from his currently stunned state. Soon, he felt Shinichi relax into the kiss and was responding back, placing his hands on Kaito's shoulders. They broke apart after a while, Shinichi's blush returning ten-fold. Kaito played with the stray strands on hair on Shinichi's neck, elicting a small and sharp intake of breath from the older twin.

"I love you too, Shinichi," Kaito murmured, leaning in and hugging him close to him. He could sense that Shinichi was happy, and he smiled. After all, the most beautiful thing in the world aside from magic was Shinichi's smile. Adjusting his arms, he mumbled a warning before sweeping Shinichi off his feet. Literally.

"K-Kai! Put me down!" Shinichi hissed, struggling slightly against him. Kaito carried him to the bed, and laid him gently onto the queen-sized mattress. Shinichi eyed the arms that were still beside his head. "Kaito?" Shinichi wondered, seeing the magician getting off and walking towards the door. He felt slightly disappointed until Kaito returned after locking the door. "Wouldn't want Mom to get a heart attack, right?" Kaito murmured, putting both hands at the sides of Shinichi's head. He leaned in and trailed kisses along the sides of Shinichi's lips to his ear, then nibbled on it softly.

Shinichi flushed, staining his ears red. "How cute," Kaito murmured, distracted by the long, creamy surface of Shinichi's exposed neck. Trailing his kisses down the valley of Shinichi's neck, he felt two hands pull him back up to face nervous sky blue eyes. Shinichi leaned upwards, bringing the both of them together in a kiss. Kaito was surprised that Shinichi was the one that initiated the kiss this time, and he hummed happily.

Sucking on Kaito's lips softly, Shinichi pulled Kaito closer and closer, wanting to get more of him. "Kai," he murmured in between, panting slightly. Kaito grinned at that name, then pecked Shinichi on the side of his lips. "Yes, Shin-chan?" he asked, curious to know what Shinichi was about to say.

"I...really want to kiss you more right now," he blurted out, eyes avoiding coming into contact with Kaito's. A faint blush coloured Kaito's cheeks, and his grin grew wider. "Of course, anything for my ojou-san," he mock-bowed, then shifted their positions so that Shinichi was now sitting on Kaito's lap and facing him. Shinichi's back was against the bedframe, giving Kaito more chances to take over the kiss. Kaito connected their lips once more, savouring the bitter taste that Shinichi had from drinking coffee all the time. Even though he may hate the taste of coffee, Shinichi somehow made it all taste sweeter.

Shinichi gasped when Kaito nibbled on his bottom lip and trailed his tongue over it with a light, feathery touch. Shinichi gave a soft moan, shifting slightly in the position he was in. Kaito groaned when Shinichi brushed against his-

"I-I'm sorry!" Shinichi stuttered awkwardly, pulling back from the kiss. Kaito felt Shinichi making a move to get off him and he held onto Shinichi's wrists.

"It's okay, Shinichi," Kaito whispered, pulling him into a hug. He could tell that Shinichi was as nervous as he was about what they were doing, and he ran his fingers through Shinichi's soft, brown hair. Breathing heavily on Shinichi's neck, Kaito noticed Shinichi shivering in pleasure. Taking a tentative lick, he felt the same shudder from Shinichi.

Being in such close proximity with Kaito, Shinichi could feel the messy strands of Kaito's hair tickle his face, until something warm slid onto his sensitive neck. The touch burnt a trail that it had been over, and he placed his hand onto Kaito's head, pushing against it gently. "Kai, s-stop," he gasped, adding more pressure in the push. Kaito received the hint, and he pulled away, looking at Shinichi with concern in his eyes.

"I just want us to take it slow," Shinichi murmured, eyes avoiding Kaito's and darted around. Kaito took Shinichi's hand in his, and brought it to his own mouth to kiss the back of it. "Of course, as my ojou-sama wishes," Kaito smiled, then shifted so that Shinichi was now tucked into the bed and Kaito was unlocking the door quietly. The darkness of the room made it hard to see, so Shinichi mumbled loud enough for Kaito to hear. "Kai, can you...stay? At least until I sleep?" he asked quietly, burying his face into the blanket. 'Gosh, I sound like such a woman...'

"Of course, Shinichi," Kaito replied, turning back and sitting on the chair beside the bed. Watching him sleep with soft, violet eyes, he listened to Shinichi's breathing. When he deemed that Shinichi was sleeping, Kaito snuck out of the room and back into his own.

Glancing backwards, he smiled.

~~~ONE MONTH LATER~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, Kaito, I was thinking..." Shinichi muttered, eyes focused on writing his report. Kaito was lying on the floor, scribbling notes on rough paper. He had perked up at the call of his name, eyeing his lookalike. "Ran called me and said that there was a new cafe opened near the Mouri Agency. She says that she wanted me to go along with her. I don't know, Kai, do you want to go?" Shinichi asked, dotting the full-stop on the end of the report. Chucking the pen to one side, he turned to face him, who was now playing on his PSP.

"Eh, I'm jealous," Kaito pouted, repeatedly tapping on his game machine. "Ran-chan gets to go out with you on a date..."

"Kaito, it's not a date," Shinichi deadpanned. "Anyway, Ran already has a boyfriend, and I have you, don't I?" Kaito's incessant tapping stopped momentarily, surprise etched onto his face. After all, it wasn't everyday that Shinichi admits that they were in a relationship of some kind. "Hmm, I say we should go. After all, you need to get away from work," Kaito answered, looking at the next report that Shinichi was working on. "And you really should cut that habit of flinging things away when you don't need them anymore. Not everything is indestructable, you know."

Thus, Shinichi ended up being a doll for both Kaito and their mother, who was more than happy to help. Dressing them up so that Kaito had the 'casual, street look' while Shinichi was the 'casual, cool look'. Groaning, Shinichi waved to his father, who was in the living room typing out his book. Kaito followed Shinichi's example, then tied his shoelaces in a flash. Shinichi scowled, wondering how Kaito had done it.

The walk to the Mouris' was quiet since it was a Saturday morning, where all the people were still sleeping. Kaito was chatting animatedly to Shinichi about various tricks he learnt from world-famous magicians. Shinichi shifted a little closer to Kaito, sliding his hands into the younger's. Kaito gripped the hands tightly in his, humming happily to himself.

When they reached the Mouri Detective Agency, they released their hands. They saw Ran and Sonoko waiting for them outside. "Shinichi! Kaito!" Ran called out, smiling widely. Sonoko had her arms folded, watching them arrive. Her eye was on Kaito's seemingly familiar face, and she shrugged. Kaito magicked two yellow roses, one for each girl. Shinichi watched him do the usual greetings to girls, then checked his watch.

"I really need to be getting back on those reports-"

"Come on, Shin-chan, you need to loosen up a little!" Kaito interrupted, leaning in close so that the other two were unable to hear. "Think of this as our first date~"

Shinichi flushed, shoving Kaito away in embarassment. "Let's just go!" Shinichi muttered, falling into pace beside Ran and chatting with her about her recent karate championship tournament. Sonoko hooked her arms together with Kaito, eyeing him curiously. "So, you're KID-sama's fan, right?" she grinned, and Kaito smiled.

"Of course I am! I'm an aspiring magician, so KID is my idol, but of course, I'm much better than that thief," he bragged, sensing Shinichi rolling his eyes at his comment. Sonoko argued that she was KID's number one fan, narrowing her eyes at Kaito. Shinichi deadpanned at the irony that was happening there.

Reaching the cafe, Shinichi groaned for the second time that day. The cafe was dressed in pink inside out, the epitome of cuteness. Ran could sense his lack of interest, and immediately brought up the matter of their coffee cakes. Shinichi reluctantly agreed, giving Kaito a side glance.

They soon joined Hattori and Kazuha, who were already there before their 'gathering' started. Moving towards Hattori's side, the guys took their seats, Shinichi in the middle. Kazuha greeted the others, chatting on how cute the shop was.

Hattori turned to Shinichi, grinning, "So, Kudou, what do ya' think of this place so far?" Kaito could tell that Hattori liked Shinichi the same way he did. Narrowing his eyes, he kept an eye on the Detective of the West. Shinichi ignored him, describing the cases that he went through recently in the past week. Kaito shuddered, remembering the horrible day where he was waiting for Shinichi before seeing a body fall from the sky. It sure scared the hell out of him. How Shinichi dealt with it on a daily basis puzzled him. Anyway, he needed to stop thinking and start getting protective.

Shinichi could feel the tense atmosphere on the guys' side of the table, and of course, the day couldn't get worse for him, right?

"Oh, Ran, Sonoko, Kazuha! What a coincidence!" Kaito and Shinichi snapped their gazes onto the familiar sounding voice. Aoko was waving to them, walking towards them. Behind her, Hakuba was checking his stopwatch, the eyes widened at the sight of their table. He joined them at the guys' side of the table, and Aoko joined the other three girls. "This sure is getting cramped," Kaito mentioned loudly. The girls agreed, then they decided to have the arrangement to be four people to a table. The four boys went to occupy a smaller table for four, and the girls did the same.

Kaito immediately snatched the seat beside Shinichi, giving Hattori a triumph look. Shinichi bonked Kaito's head with the plastic menu, then looked through the list of cakes. Hakuba was grumbling about having to sit beside a 'hot-headed, rash and impulsive' person. Hattori was about to argue when Shinichi silenced them with a withering look. Hakuba and Hattori folded their arms, pointedly looking away from each other.

Under the table, Kaito's hand snaked over onto Shinichi's side, holding it in his own. Shinichi started at that, glancing sideways at Kaito's grin. 'Well, at least one of us is enjoying this...' Shinichi thought dryly. The waitresses were all eyeing their table, having seen four hot guys sitting together.

The waitress headed over to take their order, eyeing the four of them appreciatively. Kaito flirted with the waitress, giving her a yellow rose. She giggled, taking the rose and putting it in her pocket. Shinichi's grip on Kaito's hand tightened, and azure blue eyes shot him a warning look. Kaito laughed it off, then helped them to place their orders.

When the waitress left, Shinichi was glaring at Kaito, a small pout on his face. "Sorry, it's kinda of a habit already," Kaito apologised, glancing to see the weirded-out look that Hattori and Hakuba were giving them. The awkward atmosphere hung around their table until a scream sounded out from the street outside. The three detectives immediately stood up from their seats, leaving Kaito to stare as they ran out to see what was going on.

'Of course, there are three of them,' Kaito thought, watching as they started interviewing the various witnesses. From inside the shop, he could see that Hattori and Hakuba were definitely less experienced compared to his Shinichi, who had been solving cases since he was seven. Watching as Shinichi smirked when he found out who the murderer was, he watched as the Inspector arrived at the scene and Shinichi showed off his deductions with the other two.

His twin's eyes shone with intelligence as he pointed at the murderer, declaring that he was the one. Kaito sighed in happiness, thanking the waitress as she brought their food to the table. He drank his chocolate milkshake, then followed the detectives movements as they returned into the cafe. Sliding next to Kaito, Hakuba took out his pocket watch. Kaito scowled at him. Shinichi sat next to Hattori, right opposite of Kaito. Eyeing Hakuba warily, Shinichi took his cake and stabbed the fork into it, expressing his unhappiness.

Hakuba ignored the Heisei Holmes, instead turned to Kaito. Kaito was already starting on his triple-choco-layered cake, licking the cream off his spoon. Fingers covered in cream, Kaito licked it off, aware that Hakuba (and of course, Shinichi) was watching him intensely. Shinichi was glaring at Hakuba, repeatedly stabbing and eating his own cake. Hattori was trying and failing to keep up a conversation with him. Shinichi decided to pull something that he had (reluctantly) learnt (totally by accident) from his mother.

He cut off a small piece of his cake with his fork, then slowly and painstakingly, he brought it to his lips. Licking the top layer of white cream off, he kept eye contact with Kaito. Kaito paused in his eating, opting to stare at Shinichi. The other two seemed to be oblivious to this, and Hakuba folded his arms, drinking his tea sip by sip. Hattori was bored, glaring at Kaito all the while. Watching Shinichi was now Kaito's focus, his eyes zooming in onto his twin's lips.

Hook, line and sinker. Shinichi smirked, taking the bite of cake into his mouth and chewed it, savouring the rich coffee taste. He swallowed it, and gave a sidelong glance at Hakuba before trailing his feet onto Kaito's leg under the covered table. Kaito had to resist the urge to kiss his twin right there. Was that Shinichi trying to seduce him? Kaito's KID smirk appeared on his face, showing Shinichi that 'two could play at that game'.

Scooping up a small amount of chocolate, he gave Shinichi a sweet smile that rivalled his dessert. "Shin-chan, do you want to have a taste?" he asked, offering the fork of cake. Shinichi's smirk widened as he leaned forward from his seat and took a bite, chewing on it slowly. After swallowing the sweet desert, he licked his lips. "It's a little too sweet for my taste," he murmured, staring at Kaito with half-lidded eyes. Wiping a smudge of cream off Shinichi's face, he took it into his mouth and licked it. "I find it to be just fine, Shin-chan," Kaito replied with another lick to his finger. Shinichi shifted uncomfortably in his seat, watching as Kaito continued to slide his tongue around the spoon seductively, eyeing Shinichi like a hawk. Shinichi could feel the tightness in his pants, blaming on Kaito's well-learnt skills from their mother.

"Ahem, if you will excuse me, there are people trying to eat here," Hakuba interrupted, shooting Shinichi a scathing look. Hattori was scowling as well, even though he seemed a little fascinated by the twins' flirting. "Yeah, get a room, ya' two," Hattori grumbled, then paused. "Oh wait, I forgot that ya' live together already."

Shinichi folded his arms, then looked away from the two of them, ignoring Hattori's look of apology. He was unhappy that he was interrupted when Kaito had gone to the best part, and finished the last of his cake. Kaito was poking Hakuba with a plastic wand, Hakuba's shirt changing colours with each poke. "Wha-...?" Hattori voiced his confusion. Hakuba was scowling, grabbing hold of Kaito's wrist. "Stop it, Kuroba," he warned, amber eyes flashing dangerously. "I might just tell Kudou about your 'nightly escapades' as Kaitou KID," he growled. Kaito laughed at that, waving his hand to show that it didn't matter.

"Shin-chan knows already," Kaito mouthed, glancing at the Heisei Holmes fending off a persistant Hattori at getting him to go out with him. Apparently, sublety was lost on Shinichi, and Kaito almost pitied Hattori for his efforts. Keyword being 'almost'. Shinichi was looking at Hattori with confusion, wondering where he was getting to. Kaito liked seeing Shinichi's different faces in different situations, secretly snapping photos to stare at later.

"Hattori, whatever you have to say, just spit it out," Shinichi snapped, losing his patience. Hattori seemed to be surprised at this, then confessed, "Well, eh, to tell ya' the truth, Kudou... I kinda like ya', er...that way..." Shinichi's eyes widened, and immediately, he was crushed in a hug by Kaito.

"No way, Hattori! You can't have my Shin-chan! He's mine!" Kaito pouted, glaring angrily at the Osakan. Hattori scowled, then folded his arms. "It's for Kudou to decide, ain't it?" he muttered, then glanced at Shinichi.

"I'm sorry, Hattori, but I can't accept your feelings. After all, that space had already been taken," Shinichi smiled, petting Kaito's messy hair. Realisation dawned on both detectives as they stared at the twins, one petting the other's hair lovingly. Giving a small kiss on Shinichi's hand, Kaito glared at the other two. "So, understand? I'll come and stalk you if you ever try anything funny with my Shin-chan, get it?" Kaito vowed, his card gun appearing in his hand, his face serious. The people in the shop were alarmed by it, and the waitresses spoke among themselves worriedly.

The girls at the other table seemed to understand what was going on and they giggled with each other. Kaito smiled and nodded with satisfaction, seeing both of the detectives nod. He waved at the waitresses for the bill, paying for both his and Shinichi's meal. They decided to head home after, the girls going off shopping together and roped in the remaining boys that didn't managed to escape (Hakuba and Hattori). Kaito smirked at them, taunting, "Have fun~!"

Shinichi laughed, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Let's go home, Kai. I'm sure they'll have a great time carrying bags for them. Thank the heavens that the horror was over," Shinichi sighed. Kaito snickered, glancing at Shinichi.

"I sure recalled someone trying to seduce, weren't they?"

"That's only because Hakuba was trying something on you!"

"Trust me, I've already rejected him. And I kicked him in the nuts for good measure."

"...Remind me to never get on your bad side..."

"Don't worry, Shin-chan! You're always in my good books! You have a reservation in there for forever, you know!"

They laughed, soon reaching the doorstep of the Kudou mansion. Shinichi turned Kaito to face him, leaning in and whispering, "To end a date, a kiss must be given, right?" Kaito grinned in reply, connecting his forehead with Shinichi's. They closed their eyes, barely inches away from each other, feeling their warm and comforting breaths against their faces. Feeling his belt on his restraint loosen, Kaito licked Shinichi's bottom lip before pushing in his tongue, rubbing it against Shinichi's.

Moaning softly at the contact, Shinichi wrapped his arms around Kaito's neck, pulling in his younger twin closer to him. They were lost in the heated game of kissing, and they panted slightly between each kiss.

And that's when the door opened, revealing Yukiko and her wide grin to welcome her boys back. Let the awkwardness begin.

~~~OMAKE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Why~? I won't have any grandchildren anymore~! Honey, we aren't going to get any grandchildren, even though our sons are so handsome! Maybe that's why they went for each other?"

"Mom, stop overreacting. It's just a little kissing, that's all."

"Kai-chan, that was a full-blown french kiss! How could you deflower poor Shin-chan like that? He's too innocent to taint!"

"Mom! Can we talk about something else already?"

"But Shin-chan~! Kai-chan is handsome, and he's such a gentleman... Maybe that was a good choice for you after all..."

"Dad! Mom's gone crazy!"

"Shin-chan, Mom's not mad, after all, I do treat you like my princess..."

"Argh! Stop this madness already! I give up!" Shinichi stomped off to his room.

Kaito looked at his mother, a grin plastered on his face. Yukiko grinned back. Plan 'Annoy/Embarass Shin-chan' had worked. After all, Shinichi didn't know that Yukiko and, albeit reluctantly, Yuusaku had accepted their relationship.

What Shinichi didn't know couldn't hurt him.


End file.
